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When I was walking back from the disappointing ab-ab cafe, I noticed a cat in the window of an optician’s! It’s on Roosevelt Rd (羅斯福路) just a little before Guting MRT exit 3. Since I couldn’t get a good picture through the window without a glare, I went in and asked if I could take a picture and they said I could. The cat woke up when I came in. He’s very friendly.

According to the book, this place opens at 13:30, but I went there at 14:00 and it was closed, and looked like it might not have been open in a long time. There was one sad looking but very friendly cat on the porch, looking at his empty dish. The front door had a sign on it saying it was broken and to use the door on the left. But that door was also boarded up. It still looked like a cafe inside, so I thought maybe it recently closed. The front porch area wasn’t too clean, with torn up couches, one of them with a full ash tray on it.

I went to the pharmacy across the street and asked if the cafe had closed down and they said no. They said it usually opens by 2 and would probably be open later today, but they weren’t sure when, maybe 3? They said I could just sit outside and wait, but I decided not to do that. They don’t have a good view of the street from the pharmacy so I’m not sure they really know when the cafe opens. It did look like there was some construction around the doorways so it could be closed for repairs. I’ll try calling later and see if anyone answers. Hope they at least come back and feed the cat.

Minimum per person purchase: NT$200 for entry and drink, NT$250 for shaved ice, NT$300 for ice with the most toppings

Since it’s just a few minutes walk from Cafe Dog and Cats (the original cat cafe and one of the nicest I’ve been to) and according to the book was just opened in 2010, I wasn’t optimistic that this place would still be open. The picture above is a very tiny corner of a sign for what looks like a typical tea and shaved ice shop. I looked in and didn’t see any cats.

But when I asked, they told me I had to buy a ticket. People who don’t want to see cats can order drinks and shaved ice to go or to have in the shop for regular prices. To see cats, ticket prices are as listed above. I got an NT$200 ticket with a green tea latte. They gave me the drink in a disposable cup, along with a ticket and told me to go across the street to #8 and ring the bell. I rang the bell and went up to the second floor of an old apartment building. In the entry way, the attendant asked me to take off my shoes and clean my hands with disinfectant, and then let me into the room with about 15 beautiful cats!

Everything was very clean and there is a separate room for litter boxes. The room is filled with benches and cat tree houses, and there are lockers for customers to use. The attendant said I might want to put my drink in there too so the cats wouldn’t play with it, but I didn’t mind.

The cat below was my favorite. Doesn’t he look regal?

He liked my cup.

It’s not exactly a cafe and definitely not a restaurant (called “cat themed restaurant” in Chinese), but it’s a great place to play with beautiful cats.

This 東區 cafe is so popular that even on a Monday afternoon, the only free seat was at the bar. While I was there, I heard they kept getting calls for reservations. It’s easy to see why they’re doing so well. This is the entrance:

According to the book, they just have one cat, the original Mr. Cat, known as 小羊 to his friends. But now Mr. Cat’s family has grown and there are four of them. Still, Mr. Cat seemed to know that this is his cafe and spent most of his time on the bar, eating and taking breaks to look over manager’s shoulder as he wrote down reservations.

This black cat is the smallest of them, maybe the baby of the ‘family’:

And Mr. Cat also has a beautiful silky, marbled tabby 小三 (really her name!)

The staff were friendly once I told them I could read the Chinese menu and I had a mocha frappuccino (NT$180+10% service charge, kind of expensive but worth it for the atmosphere). They also have sandwiches, waffles and specialty teas with fruit.

The fourth cat, 伴伴, wasn’t around at first, but eventually she appeared from behind the counter and then she came out to play.

I had read that cat cafes were popular in Japan and assumed the idea originated there. But according to this BBC article, “the the first cat café, named Cat Flower Garden, opened in Taipei, Taiwan in 1998”. This must refer to Cafe Dog and Cats 貓花園 (literal translation ‘cat flower garden’).

This is a busy cafe just off Shida Night Market that seems to be ideal for gathering with friends. As it’s crowded and a bit noisy, at least on weekends, it’s not a great place to come alone and read a book. The three cats kept their distance from the busy atmosphere, relaxing on and behind the bar.

This sleepy black cat was very friendly, much more than the staff who completely ignored me.

I feel sort of like if I pet the cats and take pictures, I should buy something even though I didn’t want to stay there long, but since no one even tried to take my order, I didn’t feel bad about leaving. There was a menu posted outside the door, and they have typical cafe selections, and also “frappuccinos” with the option of adding ice cream.